Noni Supplements Guide

Noni (also spelled “nonni”) is a tropical fruit tree with the scientific name Morinda citrifolia. Native to Australia, the Pacific Islands, and Southeast Asia, the plant is sometimes seen to grow near lava flows. The fruit is edible and forms an important part of the traditional indigenous diets of Australia and Burma (Myanmar). Other traditional cultures used it as a “famine food” when other food staples became scarce.

In traditional Polynesian folk medicine, several parts of the noni plant are used either topically or to be taken internally. The stems, bark, leaves, flowers, fruit, and juice have all been used in various Polynesian herbal remedies for a wide variety of health conditions. Indigenous Hawaiians, for example, relied mainly on the plant’s topical uses, such as using heated noni tree leaves as bandages and wrapping the leaves around joints.

What is a Noni Supplement?

The noni plant is an evergreen tree or shrub. Some of the common names of the noni plant include:

Ba ji tian

Bumbo

Canarywood

Cheese fruit

Hog apple

Indian mulberry

Limburger tree

Morinda

Mouse’s pineapple

Wild pine

These names sometimes refer to the fact that the fruits have a very strong odor when ripe. The yellowish-green fruits have a strong bitter taste when the juice is allowed to age.

Many of the claims associated with the use of noni supplements are not substantiated by significant clinical evidence.

Benefits of Noni Supplements

Noni fruit has several active ingredients with known health benefits, including flavonoids (a type of antioxidants), polyunsaturated fatty acids (“good” fats), and vitamins, especially vitamin C. The combination of flavonoids and vitamin C make noni supplements at least somewhat effective in reducing inflammation.

Precautions

Generally, noni supplements have very few side effects. In a small number of cases, noni supplements have been associated with liver toxicity. It is unclear to scientists whether these toxic effects are caused by the noni itself, by a combination of noni with other ingredients, or by a third, unknown factor.

In some cases, these adverse liver conditions were not permanent and the users returned to having normal liver function after stopping usage of noni supplements. However, in at least one case, the patient had to have an emergency liver transplant. Those who have a history of liver disease will want to talk to a health care provider before taking any noni supplement or food or beverage containing noni.

Pregnant women should not drink noni or take noni supplements. Historically, noni supplements have been shown to induce miscarriage. Noni supplements should also be avoided by women who are breast feeding. Not enough research has been done to conclude that noni supplements are safe for babies who may ingest the substances through the mother’s milk.

Noni supplements are known to interact with a number of prescription medications. ACE inhibitors for high blood pressure, angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) for high blood pressure, medications known to be toxic to the liver (including acetaminophen, or Tylenol, and many other drugs), and “water pills” that increase the levels of potassium in the body are some of the drugs that could interact with noni supplements. Warfarin (Coumodin), a blood thinner, is also known to interact with some of the ingredients in noni supplements. Those who take these medications should check with their health care providers before using any dietary supplement containing noni.

The noni fruit is high in potassium. Those who need to limit their dietary intake of potassium, including those who have kidney disease, should limit the amount of noni juice they consume. (The kidneys help regulate the amount of potassium in the blood.) Symptoms of having too much potassium in the blood (hyperkalemia) include fatigue, irregular heartbeat, nausea, weakness, and vomiting. Noni supplement users who experience these symptoms will want to consult a health care professional and make sure to let the health care team know they have been using noni supplements.

Always speak with a medical professional or doctor before taking any supplements. Always read the product label for instructions and directions.

Taking Noni Supplements

A common form for noni supplements is noni fruit juice mixed with the juices of other fruits and taken as a drink. Juice concentrates, powders, and pre-mixed beverages are all sold commercially as options for making the beverage form of the supplement. Drinking the beverage in average quantities for non-medicinal purposes is generally considered to be safe, and drinkers benefit from vitamins and minerals including copper, zinc, and selenium.

Noni supplements might also include teas, capsules, and tablets made from the fruits and the leaves. For topical application, the part of the noni shrub most commonly used is the oil, which can be produced from the plant’s seeds.

What to Look for in a Good Noni Supplement

To ensure the supplements they choose contain the listed amounts of the listed ingredients on the label, consumers should purchase dietary supplements from manufacturers they trust. Consumers can look for the seal of approval of ConsumerLab.com, NSF International (formerly the National Sanitation Foundation), or U.S. Pharmacopeia.

As with any supplement, individuals should consult with a health care provider before starting to take a regular noni supplement. A standardized dose of noni supplements may be recommended by the manufacturer of the product. More scientific testing needs to be done before medical science can agree on what a “safe” recommended dosage of noni supplements might be.

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